“America doesn't win anymore” was a constant Donald Trump campaign theme and a situation he pledged to reverse.

But before we start winning again we need to stop losing — especially with China, which candidate Trump named as the prime exploiter of America's diplomatic naiveté. While he focused on trade and currency issues, we have been losing to Beijing even more dangerously on national security issues.

North Korea, the South China Sea and Taiwan are three Asian flashpoints where China's interests are inimical to American interests and values—any one of which could suddenly bring the United States and China into military conflict ( To read the full article, click here......)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent three-day visit to Japan is a sign that the bilateral relationship between India and Japan is headed for newer heights. More importantly, there seems to be a palpable method to this resurgent Asian connection that does not just attempt to restore the balance of power in Asia. The two sides are astutely restructuring regional formulations in the Asian geopolitical theatre through a mix of economic, political and strategic accomplishments. India was able to draw Japan’s support for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), negotiate small but significant progress in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train timeline, ease Indian student visas and facilitate the training of 30 thousand Indians in Japanese manufacturing practices.

Two other developments that took place during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan could turn the India-Japan relationship into an unwavering geostrategic alliance in Asia. One is the decision by both the countries to merge their contiguous maritime corridors to create a single geostrategic maritime expanse running from the Far East up to the western Indian Ocean. Modi’s Japan visit drew assurances for merging India’s “Act East Policy” with Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.” The second is the significant progress made in negotiations for the sale of Shinmaywa US-2i search and rescue aircraft from Japan to India. Both of these developments could recalibrate the Asian power balance by resetting the maritime heft in Asian waters, which has increasingly tilted in China’s favor since the beginning of this decade. ( To read the entire article, click here....)

The Sino-Sri Lankan relationship was fundamentally transformed by the 2005 election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Unlike many South Asian capitals India had shielded from Chinese influence, Colombo established cordial, if limited, diplomatic ties with Beijing by the late 20th century, even importing arms from China in the 1990s.

Rajapaksa entered office two decades into a brutal conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE), a hyper-violent separatist movement claiming to defend the interests of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. Colombo and the LTTE reached a ceasefire in 2002 but the violence continued and Sri Lanka’s foreign minister was assassinated shortly before Rajapaksa’s inauguration. Within weeks of taking office the president privately appealed to Delhi for military aid to underpin a major offensive he was planning to crush the LTTE.

In 2006 Delhi quietly gifted Rajapaksa five Mi-17 helicopters and aided efforts to target LTTE personnel, supplies, and floating arsenals at sea. However, with a politically influential Tamil minority of its own, Delhi balked at requests for more robust military support. Nor could Rajapaksa turn to the United States. Concerned about human rights violations in the LTTE conflict, Washington had “drastically reduced its foreign assistance package for Sri Lanka.”

China gladly filled the void in the defense realm. In 2007, Rajapaksa secured a $37 million deal for Chinese ammunition and ordinance. In 2008, China “gifted” Colombo six F7 jet fighters, and provided anti-aircraft guns and JY-11 radar. The ceasefire with the Tigers collapsed that year and in 2009 Rajapaksa launched a scorched-earth offensive that eliminated the LTTE, though not before claiming up to 20,000 civilians in the process. ( To read the entire article, click here)

Friday, November 11, 2016

(After a month's time, I am back again with active blogging. Lot of things have happened. For my new article, I have decided to concentrate on the new American President, Donald Trump and what it means for India)The Trump era has dawned on the United States and the world. As President elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office as the 45'th President of the United States, the world is left in deep confusion and uncertainty as to how the Trump administration will affect them and their country.

Donald Trump is not new to the world. The hard headed businessmen who defies all logic and who fights and makes a come back is well known. He is tenacious, outspoken and gets his way. From the time his business was in the verge of collapse in the mid 90's to making a coming back and getting to greater heights are all part of the enigma called Donald Trump. His Presidential aspirations are also well known choosing to backout at the last movement in the past , thus creating an impression in the minds of many that he is just trying to hog the lime light. Even during the 2016 Presidency campaign, people believed that he was not serious about the race and had just thrown in his name to get some publicity. But later on it became evident, that he was in for the fight. But his outspoken comments about immigration and women left many with bad taste and many believed that he will not make it beyond the primary. Yet he persevered to the final race. In the last round, everybody predicted Hillary Clinton a resounding victory. But typical of Trump, he defied all the prediction ended up as the winner thus becoming the 45'th President of the United States of America. But his comments about immigration to defence has lest the world perplexed as to how his administration will be like.

For one, Trump has campaigned for creating jobs. What is sure is the fact that the new administration will look inward. Outsourcing will be a thing of the past as he seeks to curb American jobs being taken on to other countries. His administration will be conservative in many respects with a strong military and a boldness to take decision and to see the decision being executed. Now let us analyze what this means for India, China and Pakistan.......

India:

For India , the administration may be a mixed bag. Mr. Trump as time and again talked about deepening ties with India and making India a strategic ally. So we can naturally expect a deepening of strategic and defence ties with India. He has also reached out to the Indian community whose stature and influence are growing in American society. At the same time, as Trump seeks to create jobs inside United States, countries like India and others wherein a huge number of outsourced jobs end up can expect to have them curtailed. This may have some impact on our economy. But all told, the picture is not that gloomy.

China:

Things doesn't look that good for China. For one, China has been aggressively expanding it's illegal claims in South China Sea. Further it has been following aggressive measure with all it's neighbours. China lays claim to almost all of South China Sea and also East China Sea. In South China Sea, China is in direct conflict with many of her neighbours for claim top South China Sea. But

Credits- Wikimedia Commons
/Author- Michael Vadon

China's claim is not in adherence to UNCLOS. United States with the intention not to escalate the situation has been reacting mildly with Freedom of Navigation (FON) which does not seem to have any impact on China. But under Trump, America may not be so forgiving. There is every chance that a Chinese move will invite an American response which will be aggressive and powerful. It is estimated that China will try to invade Taiwan in the near future that will see America intervening as it is obliged to do so under treaty. There is every chance that such a situation will arise during the Trump administration. Nobody exactly knows how Trump will react and how he will act. On trade, Trump has been rather open about bringing barriers on cheap Chinese imports to revive American industry. There is every chance that Trump will follow on his world which will have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy which is already ailing.

Pakistan:

Pakistan will be the worst affected With it's double standards well exposed, Pakistan will face renewed pressure from America to reign in the Islamic militants and also curtail it's ever expanding nuclear arsenal. Trump will not as forgiving as the former Presidents and will take on Pakistan by the horn. Pakistan who has already lost much of American patriotism will be the most affected and find itself in the receiving end of an aggressive America. The double standards that is so common with the Pakistani establishment will need to come to an end. Japan/ KoreaTrump always speaks of rearming Japan and Korea, much as a checkmate to North Korea and also China. This emerging alliance will greatly benefit India as India is the linchpin of this emerging alliance.Conclusion:Donald Trump rode on the "anti establishment" feeling within the American masses. Trump has unique opportunity of making things right and establishing himself as one of the greatest President in recent American history. Whether he will cease that opportunity and make a difference is to be seen in the coming days. In the meanwhile like the rest of the world, we can only keep our fingers crossed.

What does China have planned for the Type 055 cruiser (or cruiser-size destroyer)?

Over the past month, numerous reports have emerged about the progress of the class of large ships. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has reportedly ordered four ships, in two groups. The first ship, building at Dalian, will likely hit the water next year, and potentially commission in 2018 or 2019.

Guesses regarding size have ranged from 12,000 to 20,000 tons, with most estimates concentrating on the lower end. Expectations about employment of the ships vary quite a bit, but there is general agreement that the PLAN has determined that it needs a large ship able to operate at great distance from home bases, and that will presumably include anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface capabilities. Like many modern surface combatants, the Type 055 will apparently have features designed to reduce its radar cross section and thus enhance survivability. ( To read the entire article, click here......)

For all the talk about the inevitability of the eventual “reunification” of Taiwan and China and bluster about China’s determination to accomplish the “China dream,” ongoing trends in the Taiwan Strait have made it clear that Beijing’s approach to Taiwan is failing. Short of military conquest, there is very little in the current set of options available to Beijing suggesting that “peaceful unification” is even remotely possible.

For a while, Beijing seemed to have a strategy, and if one did not look too closely it even seemed to be succeeding. Occurring at a time of shifting balance of economic and military power in the Taiwan Strait, the election of Ma Ying-jeou of the “Beijing-friendly” Kuomintang (KMT) in the 2008 elections, followed by the signing of a series of agreements and indications of political rapprochement, led many analysts to conclude that the Taiwan “question” was, at long last, on its way to peaceful resolution. Moreover, the seeming passivity of the Taiwanese public in the early years of the Ma administration seemed to indicate general support for his efforts.( To the read the complete article, click here...)

Monday, October 24, 2016

Russia, which has signed deals worth over $12 billion after the annual Russia-India summit held earlier this month, hopes to finalise a few more major projects shortly. The defence deals signed include India’s lease of a second nuclear submarine, purchase of five S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile defence systems, four frigates and joint manufacture of the Ka-226 helicopters.

As it pitches for more projects, Russia is calling itself not just a business partner but an "ally" who has always stood by India, including during its "darkest hours".

Among the new deals Russia is pushing is a multi-billion dollar deal for the P75-I project, in which six conventional submarines are to be built with Air Independent Propulsion systems. It is also looking at India’s next aircraft carrier project, along with a deal to jointly develop a fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).

India could get delivery of the S-400 in 2020

A top Russian defence official claimed the US and Europeans could never provide India what Russia can and has given and offered.....( To read the complete article, click here)

Unlike the United States Navy, which went all-in on nuclear power, Russia maintains fleets of both diesel and nuclear-powered submarines. A land power encompassing much of Eurasia, Russian submarines are based much closer to “the action” than American submarines are. While Russia maintains nuclear submarines for distant ocean patrols, its fleet of diesel submarines is more than adequate for conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and the Russian near abroad.

The mainstay of the Russian Navy’s conventionally powered fleet are Project 877–class submarines, known as the Kilo class to NATO and the West. Nicknamed the “Black Hole” submarine by the U.S. Navy, the Improved Kilos are extremely quiet. The class has been built more or less continuously for thirty years, a testament to their effectiveness at sea............. ( Now click here to read the complete article)

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About me and this blog

This is the personal blog of Manoj Ambat. Manoj Ambat is an Advocate by profession based at Palakkad, Kerala, India. He deals extensively in criminal, civil, matrimonial, consumer rights, property disputes and other varied disciplines of law. Manoj is also an avid blogger dealing with the subjects of defence, strategic affairs, foreign affairs, aerospace and politics in particular to the Indian Ocean- Pacific region and also the far eastern affairs. Manoj has been blogging from 2008 onwards.

Along with own work, we also share articles by other well known authors published by several reputed publications and blogs. Due credit is given to the authors and the organisations for their original work.